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Midnight's Children (1981)

by Salman Rushdie

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
13,823242420 (4.04)1 / 1013
Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. HTML:The iconic masterpiece of India that introduced the world to â??a glittering novelistâ??one with startling imaginative and intellectual resources, a master of perpetual storytellingâ?ť (The New Yorker)

WINNER OF THE BEST OF THE BOOKERS â?˘ SOON TO BE A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time â?˘ The fortieth anniversary edition, featuring a new introduction by the author

Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment of Indiaâ??s independence. Greeted by fireworks displays, cheering crowds, and Prime Minister Nehru himself, Saleem grows up to learn the ominous consequences of this coincidence. His every act is mirrored and magnified in events that sway the course of national affairs; his health and well-being are inextricably bound to those of his nation; his life is inseparable, at times indistinguishable, from the history of his country. Perhaps most remarkable are the telepathic powers linking him with Indiaâ??s 1,000 other â??midnightâ??s children,â?ť all born in that initial hour and endowed with magical gifts.
This novel is at once a fascinating family saga and an astonishing evocation of a vast land and its peopleâ??a brilliant incarnation of the universal human comedy. Forty years after its publication, Midnightâ??s Children stands apart as both an epochal work of fiction and a brilliant performance by one of th
… (more)
  1. 130
    One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Nickelini)
  2. 71
    The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (GoST)
  3. 61
    The Tin Drum by GĂĽnter Grass (GabrielF, CGlanovsky)
    GabrielF: I think Rushdie based a lot of his style in Midnight's Children on The Tin Drum. Both books are historical epics told through the perspective of a child with strange powers.
    CGlanovsky: A boy bound to the destiny of his birthplace. Surreal elements.
  4. 41
    The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (BGP)
  5. 20
    Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh (pamelad)
    pamelad: Also set during Partition.
  6. 21
    The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (BGP)
  7. 10
    Kim by Rudyard Kipling (Gregorio_Roth)
    Gregorio_Roth: The book is a modern interpretation of KIM in a number of ways. I think it will complete your point of view on Imperialism and India.
  8. 10
    A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (Cecrow)
  9. 11
    The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie (wrmjr66)
    wrmjr66: I think The Moor's Last Sigh is Rushdie's best book since Midnight's Children.
  10. 01
    Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera (evilmoose)
  11. 03
    The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (amyblue)
1980s (4)
Asia (16)
AP Lit (137)
hopes (11)
1960s (231)
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» See also 1013 mentions

English (226)  Spanish (3)  French (3)  Dutch (2)  Italian (1)  Swedish (1)  Hebrew (1)  Finnish (1)  Polish (1)  Czech (1)  Danish (1)  All languages (241)
Showing 1-5 of 226 (next | show all)
Rushdie is a genius. This is his finest book. Six stars. ( )
  ben_r47 | Feb 22, 2024 |
Chosen as the Booker Prize winner of all Booker Prize winners. Magical realism in India and Pakistan. Not for me, for some reason. It took me forever to read this. ( )
  markm2315 | Jul 1, 2023 |
More on magical realism. And then some. There is some truth in the idea that any banned author is worth reading. If you don’t believe me, re-read Calvino (above), and then we can talk. ( )
  Kiramke | Jun 27, 2023 |
For me, a successful piece of magical realism is possible when the constraints and opportunities for the characters are set in some impossible way, which you promptly forget is artificial and become invested in. This is absolutely the case with the way the Midnight's Children can hear each other's voices, and is even mostly the case with the special powers of the main characters. At the end, when we learn about the rush of powers possessed by other Midnight's Children, it did all seem a bit artificial, but it didn't matter so much at that point. Within the world established at the start, it was a lot of fun to watch Saleem buffeted around by the various voices in his life. ( )
  NickEdkins | May 27, 2023 |
Great store, I liked the narrator for the audiobook (Lyndam Gregory) ( )
  bspar | Jan 1, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 226 (next | show all)
"...and then it was over to their critic ... who unreservedly hated the book. The program’s presenter, Sheridan Morley, kept asking this critic (whose name I’ve forgotten) to find some little thing to praise. “But didn’t you think ... “ “Wouldn’t you at least agree that ... “ and so on. The critic was implacable. No, no, there was nothing he had liked at all..."
added by vibesandall | editLos Angeles Times (Jul 28, 2008)
 
Midnight's Children is a teeming fable of postcolonial India, told in magical-realist fashion by a telepathic hero born at the stroke of midnight on the day the country became independent. First published in 1981, it was met with little immediate excitement.
added by mikeg2 | editThe Guardian, Lindesay Irvine (Jul 10, 2008)
 
There is a shorter, purer novel locked inside this shaggy monster.
added by vibesandall | editNew York Times, Clarke Blaise (Apr 19, 1981)
 

» Add other authors (30 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Rushdie, Salmanprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Capriolo, EttoreTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Davidson, AndrewCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Desai, AnitaIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gregory, LyndamNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Häilä, ArtoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Howard, IanCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schuchart, MaxTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Versluys, MarÄłkeEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
Dedication
For Zafar Rushdie
who, contrary to all expectations,
was born in the afternoon.
First words
I was born in the city of Bombay . . . once upon a time.
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Please distinguish among:

– Salman Rushdie's original 1981 novel, Midnight's Children;

– Rushdie's 1999 screenplay adaptation (with introduction) of the novel, having the same title; and

– The 2003 stage play, Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, adapted for theater by Rushdie, Tim Supple and Simon Reade.

Thank you.
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Canonical LCC
Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. HTML:The iconic masterpiece of India that introduced the world to â??a glittering novelistâ??one with startling imaginative and intellectual resources, a master of perpetual storytellingâ?ť (The New Yorker)

WINNER OF THE BEST OF THE BOOKERS â?˘ SOON TO BE A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time â?˘ The fortieth anniversary edition, featuring a new introduction by the author

Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment of Indiaâ??s independence. Greeted by fireworks displays, cheering crowds, and Prime Minister Nehru himself, Saleem grows up to learn the ominous consequences of this coincidence. His every act is mirrored and magnified in events that sway the course of national affairs; his health and well-being are inextricably bound to those of his nation; his life is inseparable, at times indistinguishable, from the history of his country. Perhaps most remarkable are the telepathic powers linking him with Indiaâ??s 1,000 other â??midnightâ??s children,â?ť all born in that initial hour and endowed with magical gifts.
This novel is at once a fascinating family saga and an astonishing evocation of a vast land and its peopleâ??a brilliant incarnation of the universal human comedy. Forty years after its publication, Midnightâ??s Children stands apart as both an epochal work of fiction and a brilliant performance by one of th

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Average: (4.04)
0.5 10
1 50
1.5 11
2 136
2.5 37
3 367
3.5 117
4 815
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